Tuesday, June 13, 2017

The Coalition for Medical Marijuana--New Jersey, Inc. (CMMNJ) is pleased to learn that Senator Nicholas P. Scutari (D-Union) introduced S3195, legislation to tax, regulate and legalize marijuana for adults in New Jersey on May 15, 2017 at the State House in Trenton. CMMNJ recognizes the failure of the current policy of marijuana prohibition, the harm to society that marijuana prohibition causes, and the disproportionate racial impact of this policy. Colorado has demonstrated that there are many financial and social benefits that can be anticipated from legalization, taxation and regulation of marijuana for adults.

CMMNJ endorsed legalization of marijuana in New Jersey in January 2014.*

CMMNJ believes that ending cannabis prohibition is the best way to get the right medicine to the most people. The Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act (CUMMA) passed into law in January 2010, yet only about 11,000 patients have received ID cards from the Medicinal Marijuana Program (MMP), in a state with almost nine million people. Hundreds of thousands of people in New Jersey could benefit from marijuana therapy—perhaps a million or more. Garden State residents have a one in three chance of a cancer diagnosis and a one in three chance of chronic pain at some time in their lives. Moreover, we all die, and marijuana can help with some of the typical symptoms associated with terminal illness better than any other drug. Legalizing marijuana for adults would make it more like an over-the-counter drug, and less like a prescription drug, that is now prohibitively expensive for so many patients in the state. S3195 will make medical marijuana like aspirin--a drug you can buy in a local store, without going to a doctor every couple of months for a recommendation, or having to go to one of only five Alternative Treatment Centers in the state to pick it up.

Along with endorsing S3195, CMMNJ calls for immediate amendments to the Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act to:

Eliminate the 7% tax on medical marijuana;

Restore home cultivation (“six plants” per qualified patient) that was called for in the original legislation (S119/A804**) and approved by the New Jersey Senate in February 2009;

Recognize out-of-state medical marijuana ID cards (also in S119/A804) now that 29 states and Washington, D.C. have these programs;

Expand the qualifying conditions for medical marijuana to include the original language in S119/A804, along with the 43 petitions to add qualifying conditions that were given initial approval by the Department of Health Medicinal Marijuana Review Panel last month;

Allow any licensed physician or Advanced Practice Nurse with a current CDS certificate and a practice in the state to recommend medical marijuana for New Jersey patients; and,

Reschedule marijuana to a more appropriate schedule that acknowledges marijuana’s accepted medical uses in the United States, its safety profile, and its low addiction potential.

CMMNJ has concerns about the prohibition of outdoor marijuana smoking in S3195. We believe that this prohibition will not affect patients currently in the MMP, since, according to S3195, “Nothing in…this bill shall be construed: a. to limit any privileges or rights of a medical marijuana patient…as provided in the ‘New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act’ P.L. 2009, c.307 (C.24:61-1 et. seq.)” CMMNJ takes this to mean that patients in the MMP can still smoke marijuana outdoors, essentially anywhere cigarettes can be smoked. However, forbidding “recreational” marijuana smoking outdoors discriminates against and penalizes the homeless, who have no private chambers that they can retreat to when they want to use legal marijuana. Some of these homeless people are patients who don’t qualify for an MMP ID card because they have no address to give to the DOH, nor the money for MD evaluations. In order for them to use marijuana as medicine, they must break the law. This is terribly unfair, and another example of punishing people for being poor. It is also unfair to patients who live in Section 8 Housing, or in other subsidized housing, who will be evicted if they are found smoking marijuana in their rooms or apartments. The prohibition on the public use of marijuana means these residents can legally use marijuana, except not in their homes, and not outside their homes either. Additionally, outdoor, or public smoking of marijuana should be allowed for health or safety reasons. If adults are forced to smoke indoors, they may be exposing to smoke vulnerable members of the household—infants or young children, or the frail elderly, or those using home oxygen systems. Marijuana smoking should be permitted anywhere that cigarette smoking is permitted.

Finally, CMMNJ endorses a system of affirmative action in the newly emerging legal marijuana industry for the communities that have been most devastated by the decades-long war on marijuana—the inner cities. The legal marijuana industry will provide ample new employment opportunities. Minority residents in the inner cities must not be excluded from this emerging industry, but instead should be given preference in this industry, at least in terms of opportunities in the inner cities.

CMMNJ is grateful for the leadership shown by Senator Scutari in introducing S3195, and we trust our concerns will be addressed.

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

WHO: State Sen. Nicholas P. Scutari (D-Union)WHAT: Introduced legislation to legalize, tax and regulate marijuana in New JerseyWHEN: Monday, May 15, 2017 at 12:00 PMWHERE: Room 103 in the State House, Trenton, NJWHY: Many benefits of legalization, and many harms of prohibition of marijuana.

The Coalition for Medical Marijuana--New Jersey, Inc. (CMMNJ) was thrilled to learn that on Monday, May 15, 2017 at the State House in Trenton, Senator Nicholas P. Scutari (D-Union) introduced legislation to legalize, tax and regulate marijuana for adults in the state.

CMMNJ endorsed legalization of marijuana in New Jersey in 2014. “Ending cannabis prohibition is the best way to get the right medicine to the most people,” said Ken Wolski, RN, Executive Director of CMMNJ.

The Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act passed into law in January 2010, yet only about 11,000 patients have received Medicinal Marijuana Program ID cards, in a state with almost nine million people. “Hundreds of thousands of people in New Jersey could benefit from marijuana therapy--perhaps a million or more,” Wolski said. “After all, if you live in the Garden State, you have a one in three chance of having a cancer diagnosis at some point in your life, and a one in three chance of having chronic pain. Moreover, we all die, and marijuana, like no other drug, can help with some of the common problems associated with terminal illness.”

CMMNJ recognizes the failure of the current policy of marijuana prohibition, the harms to society that marijuana prohibition causes, and the disproportionate racial impact of prohibition. Colorado has demonstrated that there are many financial and social benefits that can be anticipated from legalization, taxation and regulation of marijuana for adults.

CMMNJ calls for the legalization of marijuana to include home cultivation (six plants per adult).

CMMNJ also continues to call on the state to reschedule marijuana to a more appropriate schedule that acknowledges marijuana’s accepted medical uses in the United States, its safety profile, and its low addiction potential.

Sen. Scutari introduced a legalization bill (S3195) on 5/15/17 at a State House press conference. CMMNJ issued a press release in support of the bill: "Legalization is the best way to get the right medicine to the most people." CMMNJ will call for CUMMA amendments—repeal 7% medical tax; add home cultivation; & reschedule marijuana. Informational hearing at Senate Judiciary Committee scheduled for 6/19/17.

CMMNJ's meetings are the 2nd Tuesday of each month from 7 - 9 PM at the Lawrence Twp. Library, 2751 Brunswick Pike, Lawrence Twp., 08648. All are welcome. (Meeting at the library does not imply Mercer County’s endorsement of our issue.)

CMMNJ, a 501(c)(3) public charity, is a non-profit educational organization.

Monthly Public Meeting Minutes May 9, 2017

April 2017 Minutes approved.

Legalization is the best way to get the right medicine to the most people. Bill expected to be dropped 5/15 with a Press Conference & CMMNJ Press Release. Discussion of “social” vs. “recreational” use.
Kerry O’Connor: letter of apology from Borgata Casino; ban rescinded for her use of medical marijuana.

Statehouse Podcasts resume at the Annex, 11 am – 2pm most Thursdays.

Oregon and PA update from Scot and Lori Albert of CANNASHARE: http://cannashare.net/

NJ DOH Medicinal Marijuana Program Review Panel: Public Hearing 2/22/17 re: 45 Petitions to add conditions to the MMP. Panel will make initial recommendations, followed by a 60 day comment period, followed by final rec’s. DOH Commissioner has 180 days to decide. There is a meeting May 11th of the Review Panel. For a list of the conditions, see: http://cmmnj.blogspot.com/2017/01/petitions-to-nj-doh-panel.html ; For links to each Petition, see:
http://www.nj.gov/health/medicalmarijuana/review-panel/petitions2016.shtml

Ken and Jim at Redbank Fundraiser

About The Coalition

Coalition members hold diverse opinions, but we all agree:

Arresting patients is wrong, and it must stop now.

Modern clinical research, centuries of experience and the impassioned personal accounts of thousands of real patients concur: Marijuana can alleviate symptoms of certain serious medical conditions, and it can do so when other drugs fail to help.

Doctors should be free to recommend this medicine to promote health, and sick or injured New Jerseyans should be free to use it responsibly.

The safety margin for therapeutic marijuana is as wide as it can be ─there is no known lethal dose.

New Jersey healthcare professionals dispense potentially lethal drugs every day. We trust them to do so very carefully, and solely to benefit their patients. Common sense and compassion demand that doctors should control non-lethal marijuana medicine for those who truly need it. To make this important change a reality, your voice is needed.

The New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act was introduced in the State Senate in January 2005 by Senator Nicholas Scutari (D-Linden). A companion bill is pending in the Assembly, sponsored by Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-Princeton) and Assemblyman Michael Carroll (R-Morris Township).